In the Garden, Crisis with Marlee

Renewal of spirit: quiet time in the garden, contemplating life and things growing, thinking about the meaning of this and that.. with muddy gloves and the sounds of birds, the sun on my back.

Planted all the things I brought home from the nursery last week, started the drip system, pulled weeds. Pulled more weeds. Oh, and pulled some weeds. Sitting down for a break, looking at what we managed to accomplish in the space of two weeks: it looks like someone cares about our yard. That someone is a bit haphazard, but still cares. That someone has to pull some more weeds. (WHO watered all those weeds this winter??? I wanna know... Did they have to fertilize them?)

Jim took the rototiller to a patch where I planted two zucchinis, and will add corn next weekend. Squash and corn. I read somewhere that they do well together. We will see.



In the middle of today, I took Marlee (silver tabby) to the vet. She had started favoring her left hind foot last night, and it seemed worse today. The vet says that she has a something something kneecap/patella. Said it shows up before the end of the first year in small dogs like Pomeranians. I had to break it to Marlee that she might be a Pom... The kneecap slides out of it's groove, and the leg goes wobbly, and probably hurts like hell. There is an operation for that. Not too horrible as far as operations go (according to the vet), and ONLY about $1,500. It will come and go for the rest of Marlee's life, and cause nasty arthritis. Glucosamine supplements. Ironic, not funny, that a woman with two bad knees facing knee surgery adopts a cat who needs knee surgery.. and supplements.

After I brought her back home - without surgery or anything else but the exam and the diagnosis, (at least no worse for the wear), and she headed for the nearest hidey-hole, I headed back to the garden. When there is nothing that I can do, when I feel at a loss, digging in the garden helps. It soothes, and somehow takes some of the sting out of feeling helpless.

Spring - Glorious Spring

I've spend the last two days in the garden, finally starting to feel like winter is really over. I've planted, weeded, shoveled, hauled, raked, spaded, watered, and there seems to be some progress. Both the citrus trees are in the raised boxes that Jim built for me, and various herbs, flowers and vegetables planted as well.  The two citrus are a Myers Lemon and a Buddah Hand.  (That's the strange yellow one). In addition, I've put in: 

Lettuce (oak leaf, butter and mesclun mix) Italian flat and curley parsley, lemon verbena, armenian cucumbers, tomatoes, basil- sweet and thai, marigolds, sweet allyssum, nasturtiums (I eat the flowers in salads) raspberrys, epazote, bush beans (green beans). Will put in corn and zucchini after Jim roto-tills the bed.


I am a bit tired.. no, let's revise that: I am VERY tired. We still managed to

put in time shopping for a canopy, a battery for my motor scooter, do three loads of laundry, (Jim removed the drive/line from his old Chevy Truck), go to the nursery to BUY all those plants and some other mundane stuff like feeding ourselves. I suspect I'm going to be relieved to go back to work tomorrow.  I've had a marvelous weekend, and there are no complaints. 
Funny/interesting things that happened:  While turning over the compost in the bin, a small grey mouse hopped through one of the vent holes, startling me and hopping away. We don't see many mice around here with all the cats, so it was a bit unusual.  I just stared at it, so by that time, I must have been hitting my limit. 


The second thing: while planting the raspberry canes my friend gave me, I unearthed one of the tiny little snakes that live around here. The photo at left is larger than life-sized.  "My" snake (sharp tailed snake) is skinnier than a pencil, and I saw one or two last year. I carefully covered it up again and hoped that I hadn't injured it. The frogs around here are bigger than it is. It moves very slow and if you didn't notice that it actually has a head, you would think it was a long skinny earthworm. We have worms that are about the same size (very very healthy soil!)...


So, next weekend: work on the watering systems (get them in place before the hot weather hits) and plant corn and squash.  Trim trees, pull weeds. tidy up neglected areas. Jim will probably mow during the week, and both of us will be putting in time in the late afternoon (after work for me...)